Pneumatic cleaning apparatus.



. MoiIKos.

PNBUMATIG CLEANING APPARATUS.

P. J. MATGHETTB, C. GORDON L G APPLICATION FILED HAB.. 6, 1905.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

3 SHBBTS-BHET l.

111s :vowels meres co., WASHINGTON. n. c4

F. J. MATGHBTTE, G. GORDON d.: C. MOUKUS. PNBUMATIG CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IAR. 6, 1905.

973,446, Patented oen. 1s, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nu: Nom-els PETERS co., wnsmxvcfcw, D. c

I'. JQMATCHBTTE, G. GORDON n C. MOUKOS.

PNBUMATIG CLEANING APPARATUs.

APPLICATION FILED MAILS, 1905. 973,446, Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

l/ will ullllllllllll'f UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEEIOE.

FRANK J. MATCHETTE, CHARLES GORDON, AND CHARIJES MOUKOS, OF MILWAUKEE,WISCONSIN, ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN AIR CLEANING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE,WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

PNEUMATIC CLEANING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that we, FRANK J. Mar OHETTE and CHARLES GORDON, citizens ofy the United States, and CHARLES MoUKOs, a

. Pneumatic Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forminga part thereof.

This invention relates more part-icularly to portable apparatus forremoving dirt and dust from rugs, carpets and the like, by

means of a blast or jet of compressed air,

separating the dirt and dust from the dust laden air and confining thedirt and dust separated from the air within the portable apparatus,while the air freed from the dirt and dust is discharged into the room.

The main objects of the invention are to produce a self-containedcompact machine of this class which can be easily carried from place toplace; to facilitate the removal of dirt and dust from the machine; toprovide for the easy detachment and removal of and for ready access todifferent parts of the machine, for inspection, cleaning and renewal; tosecure an effective and perfect separation of the dust from the air bywhich it is removed and conducted olf from a carpet or other article; toprevent the escape of dust into the room from the machine at the ends ofthe blast nozzle; to provide for the detachment and removal of dustadhering to the strainer cloth or tubes; and generally to improve theconstruction and operation of apparatus of this class.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and inthe peculiar arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafterparticularly described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing like characters designate the same parts inthe several figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical section on the line 1 l, Fig. 3, of a pneumaticcarpet cleaner embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionon the line 2 2, Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3,Fig. l; Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of the base, nozzle and hood; Fig.5 is an inverted plan Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 6, 1905.

Patented'Oct. 18, 1910. Serial No. 248,536.

view of the dust separator and collector, the discharge valve in thebottom of the dust receptacle being partially opened; and Fig. 6 is avertical cross section on the line 6 6, Fig. 4:, showing the springlatch for securing the dust separator and collector to the base.

In the present case a machine of substantially cylindrical form is shownand will be described, to illustrate and explain the invention, whichhowever', may be embodied in different forms without departure from itsscope and principle.

Referring to the drawing, a designates the base of the machine having atransverse opening Z) in the bottom and an upturned marginal rim oriiange forming a recess or chamber on the upper side thereof.

o is an air blast nozzle preferably constructed of two parts which arescrewed together to form a long narrow discharge orice in the underside. One of the parts or sections of the nozzle is formed or providedwith hollow trunnions which are fitted to turn in bearings providedtherefor in the base at the ends of the opening Z). The noz zle issecured in these bearings by a hood (Z, which is detachably fastened tothe base over the opening Y), which has upturned flanges at the sidesforming joints with the lower edges of the hood, as shown in Figs. l and4t. To prevent the escape of dust into the room from the machine at theends of the nozzle the base is formed adjacent to the ends of andcrosswise with respect to the opening Y), with dust interceptingchannelsl o, which communicate preferably at their ends through openingswith the chamber or space in the upper part of the base, in which thereis little or no back pressure. To the protruding ends of the trunnionson the nozzle, a. tubular bail or forked handle y", is rigidly andpermanently attached, for operating the machine and supplying com-'pressed air thereto.

AUpon the base a, is detachably mounted a dust separator and collector',comprising a dust receptacle and a strainer. The dust receptacle g isloosely fitted at the bottom into the upturned rim or iange on the base,and is detachably secured thereto as shown in Figs. l, l and G, by abeveled spring latch lz., which is pivotally mounted in the base inposition to engage with a loop or keeper z' on the bottom of the dustreceptacle, and has on its pivot stem outside of the base, .a foot pieceor releasing arm j. This latch 1s so constructed and arranged that whenthe dust receptacle g is placed in its proper position on the base thebeveled hooked end of the latch will be automatically engaged with theloop i, thereby looking the part-s together. The latch is disengagedfrom the loop and the dust receptacle released by depressing the footpiece or releasing arm y'.

A s shown in Figs. l, 3 and 5, the dust receptacle is formed with acentral shed j across the bottom over the hood (Z, and at the centerwith an upwardly flanged opening into which the neck of the hood nornmally projects when the parts of the machine are assembled. On each sideof this shed, which slopes from the center in opposite directions, thebottom of the dust receptacle is formed with a large discharge opening,which is normally closed by a slide or valve 7u, as shown in Fig. l.This slide or valve, which controls both discharge openings, issupported at the ends by guides l, attached to the bottom of the dustreceptacle, and its movement in both directions is limited at the properpoints by pins or lugs 'mf on the slide, and shouldersn on the guides,as shown in Fig. 5. It is formed with a central opening through whichthe hood Z passes when the parts of the machine are assembled, as shownin Figs. l and 3, and it may be operated by the loop z', whichcooperates with the spring' latch L to lock the dust receptacle to thebase.

The strainer consists of cloth tubes or flexible strainer conduits 0,attached at the ends to and supported by plates p and g. These tubes arefastened to said plates by severed spring wire rings 02 secured in theends of the tubes and sprung with them into internal grooves o3 in theopenings 0t in said plates. These plates are connected and the upperplate is yieldingly supported from the lower plate preferably by tiebolts or rods 1", which are provided with springs s, bearing at theirlower ends against the lower plate and at their upper ends againstshoulders or collars s on said bolts. The yielding connections betweenthe two tube plates serve to keep the tubes normally extended and alsopermit the depression of the upper plate q and force it back to placewhen released, whereby dust adhering to and lodging in the strainertubes may be jarred therefrom, and the meshes of the cloth kept clear.The alternate slackening and stretching of the strainer tubes incidentto the compression and expansion of the springs s, operate also todislodge and remove dust from said tubes and to maintain them in goodworking condition.

The lower plate p is formed around the central opening therein with adepending flange, which when the 'parts of the machine are assembled asshown in the drawing, ts into the annular space between the neck on thehood d and the upturned iiange around the central opening in the dustreceptacle g. A cover plate t forming with the upper tube plate Q an airand dust distributing chamber or space u, is detachablv fastened to saidtube plate by a severed and internally grooved coupling ring fu,engaging the beveled margins or rims of said plates, or by othersuitable means. The lower tube plate 72 is also detachably fastened bylike or similar means to the top of the dust receptacle g. The severedends of the coupling rings o are provided with adjustable fastenings fw,by means of which they can be quickly contracted so as to draw and holdthe beveled rims of the connected parts of the machine snugly togetherand thus form tight joints between them. This construction affords easyaccess to the tube plates for the purpose of inspecting and cleaning thestrainer and dust receptacle and removing and replacing the strainertubes when necessary or desirable.

The central tube o connects the hood (Z with the distributing chamber uin the upper part of the dust separator and the cover plate t ispreferably depressed into or formed on the under side with a centralconical deflector for directing the dust laden air issuing from theupper end of the tube 0 out-- wardly and distributingr it to the upperends of the surrounding rows of tubes 0. The central tube o forms anascending flue or conduit through which the dust laden airis carriedupwardly from the opening in the top of the dust confining hood cl intothe distributing chamber u, and the strainer tubes 0 form descendingflues or conduits through which the dust is carried downwardly anddischarged into the dust receptacle g, as indicated by arrows on Fig. 1.The dust is more effectively and perfectly separated from the air withwhich it is carried and is more readily brought to rest and collectedwhen the dust laden air is directed downwardly through the strainer intothe dust receptacle, than when it is directed upwardly, because in thelatter case the ascending current of air tends to hold the fine lightparticles of dust in suspension and in contact with the strainersurface, while in the former case they are carried by the current awayfrom the strainer surface and deposited in the dust receptacle below.The particles of dirt and dust carried with the descending air currentsalso act as a scouring agent and tend to keep the inner surfaces of thestrainertnbes free from dust. The arrangement of the dust flues orconduits and the strainer tubes or surfaces with relation thereto and tothe dust receptacle in the apparatus as herein shown and described, is,

for the reason above stated, very effective and advantageous, admittingas it does of the construction of a compact, self-contained, light,portable machine for cleaning carpets and the like. The cover plate t isprovided with a handle x, by means of which the machine when all itsparts are assembled and fastened together, may be taken up bodily andcarried from place to place, and by means of which the dust separatorand collector may be lifted from the base for the purpose of emptyingdirt and dust from the dust receptacle g.

For the sake of appearance, although it is not essential to theoperation of the machine, the strainer tubes 0 may be surrounded andconcealed from view by a perforated case y.

The operation of the machine may be briefly explained as follows:Compressed air being supplied to the machine in the usual way through aflexible pipe or hose attached to the tubular handle, and beingconducted into the nozzle c through its hollow trunnions and the bail orforked ends of the handle, is directed downwardly through the narrowslit or orifice of the nozzle in a strong blast or jet, which isprojected into and through the carpet or other article, removingtherefrom dirt and dust, which are taken up and conducted ott' with thedeflected current or currents of air, as indicated by arrows on Fig. l.The dust laden air confined within the machine by the hood cl, is.conducted from the upper part thereof upwardly through the central tube0 into the distributing chamber u in the upper' part of the machine,some of the air escaping through the meshes of said tube (when it ismade of straining material), and to that extent reducing the force ofthe upward current of dust laden air, is deflected by the cover plateand spreads out radially in all directions in the distributing chamberu, from which it descends with greatly diminished force into thestrainer tubes o. From these tubes, which have in the aggregate a largearea, the air escapes into the room and the dirt and dust separatedtherefrom and confined within the tubes, is carried downward by gravityand by the diminishing air currents and gently discharged at the lower cends of the tubes into the dust receptacle g,

.csp

where they are undisturbed and readily come to rest.

The dirt and dust are removed from time to time from the dust receptacleg by detaching and removing said receptacle from the base t and openingthe slide or valve 7c, as shown in Fig. 5. Any dust or dirt which may becaught in the intercepting grooves or channels e and dischargedtherefrom into the chamber or space between the bottom of the dustreceptacle and the bottom of the base may be removed therefrom byinverting the base when the dust separator and collector are detachedand removed.

The nozzle with the tubular bail or handle attached thereto may beeasily removed from the machine for inspection, repairs or renewal, bydetaching and removing the hood l from the base.

The nozzle c is made, as shown, of a shape in cross section, to offer aslittle obstruction as possible to the ascending currents of dust ladenair.

The dust lines and strainer tubes of the dust separator and collectormay be made of Various shapes, of any suitable material, and arranged invarious ways, and more or less of these ilues and strainer tubes orconduits may be employed.

We have illustrated and described with particularity t-he preferreddetails of construction and arrangement of the several parts but it isobvious that such changes can be made therein as will fall within thescope of the appended claims.

Ve claim:

l. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus, the combination of a portable basehaving an opening in the bottom, walls extending upwardly from oppositesides of said opening, a blast nozzle adjacent to the walls on oppositesides of said opening, a hood with converging walls extending upwardfrom said opening, and a dust separator and collector into which saidhood discharges dust laden air, substantially as described.

2. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus the combination of a portable basehaving a transverse opening in the bottom, walls extending upwardly fromopposite sides of said opening, a nozzle having a downwardly directedblast orifice arranged lengthwise of said opening between said walls andpositioned to permit air discharged therefrom to pass upward aroundopposite sides of the nozzle, a dust confining hood over said opening,and a dust separator and collector' to receive the air passingfrom saidhood, substantially as described.

3. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus, the combination of a portable basehaving au opening in the bottom, walls extending upwardly from oppositesides of said opening, a pivot-ally supported air-blast nozzle adjacentto said opening between said walls, and a dust separator and collectorcomprising a dust receptacle detachably mounted on the base and astrainer detachably mounted on the dust receptacle, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus, the combination of a portable basehaving a transverse opening in the bottom, from opposite sides of whichwalls extend upwardly an air-blast nozzle arranged lengthwise of saidopening between and adjacent to said side walls, a dust confining hoodover said opening, and a dust separator and collector to receive dustladen air from said hood, substantially as described.

5. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus, the combination of a portable basehaving a transverse opening in the bottom, walls eX- tending upwardlyfrom opposite sides of said opening, a pivotally mounted air-blastnozzle arranged lengthwise of said opening between the walls thereof, adust confining hood over said opening, and a dust collector1 detachablymounted on said base and connected with the hood, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus the combination of a portable basehaving a transverse opening in the bottom, an air blast nozzle pivotallymounted in and ai'- ranged lengthwise of said opening to direct dustcontaining air into the apparatus, a dust conning hood over saidopening, a dust collector detachably secured on said base, and a dustreceptacle at the base of said collector and provided with a dischargevalve in the bottom, substantiallj7 as described.

7. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus the combination of a portable basehaving in the bottom a transverse opening and dust intercepting groovesor channels formed in the bottom adjacent to the ends and crosswise tosaid opening, and an air-blast nozzle arranged lengthwise of saidopening to impel dust containing air into the apparatus, substantiallyas described.

8. In a pneumatic cleaningapparatus, a portable base therefor having inthe bottom a transverse opening to receive an air blast nozzle andformed with dust intercepting grooves in the bottom arranged crosswiseand adjacent to the ends of said opening, and a dust chamber with whichsaid grooves or channels communicate, substantially as described.

9. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus the combination of a portablechambered base having in the bottom a transverse opening and dustintercepting .Qrooves or channels arranged adjacent to the ends of andcrosswise to said opening and communicating with the chamber in thebase, an air-blast nozzle adjacent to said opening to direct dustconcontaining air into the apparatus, a dustA confining hood over saidopening, and a dust separator and collector connected with said hood,substantially as described.

l1. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus the combination of a portable basehaving an opening in the bottom, a pivotally mounted air-blast nozzleadjacent to said opening to direct dust laden air into the apparatus,and a dust confining hood detachably fastened to the base over saidopening and covering said nozzle, substantiallj7 as described.

l2. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus, the combination of a portablebase having a transverse opening in the bottom and nozzle bea-rings atthe ends of said opening, an air-blast nozzle pivotally supported at theends in said bearings to direct dust containing air into the apparatus,and a dust confining hood detachably secured to the base over the endsof the nozzle, substantially as described.

13. In a pneumatic cleaning apparatus the combination with a portablebase, having a transverse opening in the bottom and dust interceptinggrooves adjacent to the ends and crosswise of said opening, an air blastnozzle pivotally mounted in the opening of the base, and a dustconfining hood disposed on the base over said openinff.

In wit-ness whereof we hereto affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK J. MATCHETTE. CHARLES GORDON. CHARLES MOUKOS.

lVitnesses CHAs. L. Goss, BERNARD C. RoLorr.

